Kiefer Sutherland

The son of a film legend who seemed poised for stardom as a teen heartthrob thanks to breakout roles in "Stand By Me" (1986) and "The Lost Boys" (1987), actor Kiefer Sutherland suffered through a peri...
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Actor Kiefer Sutherland was left squirming as a teenager when he watched Julie Christie's sex scene in Don't Look Now because he could not stand seeing the screen siren frolicking with his father. Donald Sutherland starred alongside the British actress in the creepy 1973 thriller, and their saucy scene was so graphic it sparked controversy when the film was released.
24 star Sutherland admits he was keen to view the explicit footage when he was a teenager, but seeing his father in the scene ruined the excitement.
He tells U.K. motoring show Top Gear, "It was a real struggle at about 13, 14, because Julie Christie was stunning and you're 14 years old and you're watching and you're trying to block your father out! Then - 'No, this isn't going to work!' But yes, that moment was kind of tricky."

Kiefer Sutherland set a new target time for his fellow stars when he raced a car around a track for British TV show Top Gear, but confessed the whole experience terrified him.
The 24 actor took part in the motoring show's Star in a Reasonably Priced Car segment, and his rain-drenched lap, which was broadcast in the U.K. on Sunday (01Feb15), set a new record. He completed his circuit of the track in England in one minute, 49.2 seconds, fractions quicker than singer James Blunt, meaning Sutherland now leads the speed list for wet laps. However, the TV action man admitted he had second thoughts about taking part when he was driven around the course by Top Gear's resident racing expert, The Stig.
Sutherland told host Jeremy Clarkson, "First of all, it's an amazing experience, I have to say. I have been watching this show for years, I've been making fun of people driving this car all the time, and the whole time while The Stig is driving I'm like, 'Oh, I wish I never made fun of anybody driving this car'. It scared the c**p out of me."

Will Smith, Kiefer Sutherland and Ed Sheeran are among the celebrities lined up to test their driving skills on U.K. motoring show Top Gear. They will all take part in the Star in a Reasonably-Priced Car segment, in which a celebrity races against the clock in a modest, family car. Sheeran, who does not have a driving licence, will be seen taking the challenge in the first episode of the new series, which airs in the U.K. on Sunday (25Jan15).

TV bosses behind Kiefer Sutherland's hit TV show 24 are considering reviving it without him. The series returned to screens in 2014 after a four-year absence, and Sutherland reprised his role as action hero Jack Bauer for the limited edition run, which was shot in and around London.
However, the actor has since cast doubt on whether he will return for any more seasons, and producers have now revealed they are exploring the option of going forward with 24 without Sutherland's lead character.
Speaking during the Television Critics Association's winter press tour, Fox TV executive Gary Newman told reporters, "We would love nothing more than to do another 24. That's a constant focus for us."
His colleague Dana Walden added, "We have discussed it with him (Sutherland). Potentially, he won't be in this installment, we're not sure yet. We're not that far along but I know he supports us doing more 24. We're not talking about continuing the show without him; we're talking about whether there's one installment that he's not in."

Producers at America's Fox network have been sued by bosses at a watch company for allegedly sinking a merchandising deal based on Kiefer Sutherland's TV drama 24. Officials at the U.S. Agency Watch Company have filed the lawsuit against Fox producers, claiming they had a deal to make special timepieces based on 24.
According to the lawsuit, obtained by TMZ.com, the producers took months to approve watch designs for their deal and were so late giving the go-ahead that the company could not meet the production deadline and was forced to cancel 15,000 orders.

"Me, I don't see going back to it. We had set out to do 12 episodes to end the show and deal with some of the past history of the show. It was also an irresistible opportunity to go shoot in England. So for all of those reasons it made sense to do that last season... But I think I said the same thing at the end of season 8 so I would hate to be held to that." Kiefer Sutherland has no plans to reprise his role in 24 in the future following the the one-off U.K.-based series 24: Live Another Day, which aired earlier this year (14).

Actor Jason Patric is celebrating after a California judge ruled he is the legal father of his four-year-old son Gus. The Speed 2: Cruise Control star has been locked in a two-year legal battle with his ex-girlfriend Danielle Schreiber over the parentage of Gus, who was conceived via artificial insemination.
Schreiber initially succeeded in banning Patric from gaining access to his son, based on California law that grants the mother full custody unless there is a written agreement establishing parental rights before conception.
However, the actor challenged the ruling and earlier this year (14), officials at a California appeals court granted him permission to claim parentage of the kid.
The case recently returned to court, where a judge declared in Patric's favour and ordered the two sides to work out a custody deal between themselves, reports TMZ.com.
If Patric and Schreiber fail to reach a mutual agreement over custody, visitation and child support, the judge will make the decision for them.
The actor has previously won the support of celebrity pals including Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, Mel Gibson, Jon Hamm, Chelsea Handler and Kiefer Sutherland, who all attended his first annual Stand Up For Gus fundraiser in Los Angeles.
The event was held to raise money for fathers struggling to see their kids during nasty custody battles.

A huge artwork depicting Kiefer Sutherland as his 24 character Jack Bauer has gone on display in London. The piece, by British artist Quentin Devine, is made of 1,485 London-themed postcards and was created in 24 hours. Bosses at Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment commissioned the piece to mark the DVD release of 24:Live Another Day.

Dutch filmmaker George Sluizer has died at the age of 82. The director passed away in Amsterdam on Saturday (20Sep14).
Sluizer garnered international acclaim in 1988 with his film Spoorloos, which was based on Tim Krabbe's book The Golden Egg.
In 1993, he directed an American remake of The Vanishing, which starred Jeff Bridges and Kiefer Sutherland.
Sluizer's next film Dark Blood hit a roadblock when star River Phoenix died of a drug overdose in 1993.
He chose to complete the production in 2007 after suffering an aneurysm and in 2012, it premiered at the Netherlands Film Festival.

24 actor Louis Lombardi has come to the defence of the show's star Kiefer Sutherland after former castmate Freddie Prinze, Jr. recently ripped into the TV action man for his bad behaviour. In a weekend (26-27Jul14) interview with ABC News, Prinze, Jr. revealed he hated working with Sutherland on 24 and almost quit acting after the unpleasant experience.
The Scooby-Doo star claimed he was forced to remove his shoes in scenes with Kiefer, so he didn't tower over the show's leading man, and also took aim at his co-star's professionalism.
Sara Gilbert and Aisha Tyler, who have both worked with Sutherland on 24, offered the actor their support in a segment on their U.S. chat show The Talk on Monday (28Jul14), and now Lombardi has weighed in, insisting his experience with the 24 star was very different to the one Prinze, Jr. detailed.
He tells Us Weekly magazine, "He was one of the most professional actors I've ever worked with. He wanted the best out of everybody. I have nothing but great experiences with him. He's a gentleman.
"Maybe he (Prinze, Jr.) was jealous, maybe Kiefer did something to him, who knows? But Kiefer's one of the most professional and most likeable people! Kiefer is the most professional actor. I'm baffled about the kid's comments and baffled why he would say this years later! I'm all for Kiefer. I think he's a great dude and I have nothing but love for him. Everyone loves him, all the actors around him, the crew. Everyone!"
And responding to Prinze, Jr.'s remarks about having to perform shoeless, Lombardi adds, "Why'd that kid say that? That's crazy! It's almost like, 'Let it go!' If that's the biggest problem that you have, to take your shoes off, I mean..."
A representative for Sutherland addressed Prinze, Jr.'s comments on Monday (28Jul14), saying, "Kiefer worked with Freddie Prinze, Jr. more than five years ago. This is the first time he has heard of Freddie's grievances. Kiefer enjoyed working with Freddie and wishes him all the best."

Reprised role of Jack Bauer for the TV-movie, "24: Redemption" (Fox), a prequel to the 7th season of the series; earned Golden Globe, SAG and Emmy nominations for Best Actor in a Television Movie

Made stage debut with the Los Angeles Odyssey Theater in "Throne of Straw" at age nine

Cast as artist Paul Gaugin in the biopic "Paradise Found"

Co-starred with mother Shirley Douglas in an Ottawa stage production of Tennessee Williams' "The Glass Menagerie"

Feature directorial debut, "Truth or Consequences, N.M."; also co-starred as a psychopathic ex-convict

Re-teamed with director Rob Reiner in "A Few Good Men"

After parents' divorce, lived with mother in Los Angeles

Parents separated when Sutherland was four

Summary

The son of a film legend who seemed poised for stardom as a teen heartthrob thanks to breakout roles in "Stand By Me" (1986) and "The Lost Boys" (1987), actor Kiefer Sutherland suffered through a period of stagnation in the 1990s. Prior to his career's hibernation, Sutherland was a leading man and peripheral member of the so-called Brat Pack that included Judd Nelson, Emilio Estevez, Anthony Michael Hall and Molly Ringwald. At his peak, he starred in such high-profile fare as "Young Guns" (1988) and "Flatliners" (1990), but a much-publicized breakup with then-fiancée Julia Roberts mere days before their pending nuptials put a serious dent in his celebrity. After that unfortunate time, Sutherland found himself relegated to barely-seen indie films and bottom shelf studio flicks. But after years off the public radar, an adult Sutherland reemerged in heroic fashion as Jack Bauer, an agent in the U.S. Counter Terrorist Unit who goes through hell to avert all manner of national crises, on the successful TV thriller "24" (Fox, 2001-2010). Not only was Sutherland's career resurrected, he vaulted past any heights previously achieved to become a multi-Emmy and Golden Globe winner. With his career back in full swing, Sutherland was able to carry other shows like "Touch" (Fox, 2012- ) while solidifying his hard-earned status as television's top star.

Born April 2, 1934; daughter of former Canadian NDP leader Tommy Douglas; was involved with the Black Panthers during her marriage to Donald Sutherland (1966-71); eventually arrested for trying to buy hand grenades from the CIA with a personal check, but case eventually thrown out of court

Thomas Douglas

Grandfather

Born in Scotland in 1904; raised in Canada a Socialist; Canadian statesman and inventor of Canadian medicare; was premier of Saskatchewan from 1944-61; was first federal leader of the New Democratic Party from 1961-71; Died of cancer in 1986; Voted by CBC viewers as "The Greatest Canadian" in 2004

Met while co-starring in "Flatliners" (1990); Sutherland left his wife and children to move in with Roberts; Marriage was scheduled for June 14, 1991, however their relationship ended just five days before their planned wedding

Education

Sutherland was named after screenwriter Warren Kiefer, who wrote the film "Castle of the Living Dead" (1964) in which his father Donald Sutherland was featured.

Sutherland formed the production company Stillwater Films, named for a river that ran on the Montana ranch he once owned.

Sutherland has competed in rodeos since co-starring in "The Cowboy Way" (1984), twice winning the United States Team Roping Championship and placing near the top in other competitions.

"Having a famous dad has been a struggle. My presence has been like a thorn in his sense of originality. He even looks like me – just shorter." – Donald Sutherland on his son Kiefer to London's Daily Mail, May 2000

"Ten years ago, I wouldn't even have considered doing a television series, but television has changed dramatically during the past three, four years." – Sutherland to Steppin' Out magazine, Dec. 19, 2001

"Five years ago, if you would have said I would be winning awards and starring in a hit show, I would have said you were dreaming. I guess this is my second chance. This time around, I'm not going to take any moment of it for granted, because I know what it feels like to almost lose it all." – Sutherland to InTouch magazine, March 22, 2004

On Sept. 25, 2007, Sutherland was arrested on misdemeanor drunk driving charges (his second time since another incident in 2004) after failing a field sobriety test. Officers pulled Sutherland over – around 1:00 a.m. – after he made an illegal U-turn, and he subsequently failed a field sobriety test. He was booked and later released on $25,000 bail. He plead no contest to a DUI charge and agreed to complete a 48 day jail sentence, which began in late December and was completed on Jan. 21, 2008.

On May 7, 2009, Sutherland was arrested on suspicion of head-butting a fashion designer at a party in New York. According to unconfirmed newspaper accounts, Sutherland head-butted fashion designer Jack McCullough after he bumped into actress and model Brooke Shields.